Emergency preparedness plans in place ahead of storms expected in Angelina County

ANGELINA COUNTY, TX (KTRE) - In preparation for Deep East Texas’ next major rain maker, Angelina County emergency management officials have laid out plans to deal with whatever the storm brings.

Angelina County has largely missed out on the heavy rainfall in recent days. Ricky Conner, emergency management coordinator with Angelina County, said the county had seen around 2 inches of rain, in comparison to the 10 to 12 inches to the south.

“It won’t take a whole lot. Fortunately, we haven’t had a lot of the downpours. I’d say if we got 2 or 3 inches in an hour, we’d be in trouble," said Conner. “But as long as we keep getting the showers, the spotty showers like that, I think we’ll be fine.”

Angelina County held an emergency response workshop “about a two or three weeks ago," according to Conner, where entities who contribute to the county’s emergency response discussed how to prepare for weather events and more.

“We like to say prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” Conner explained. “So right now, we’re just hoping nothing happens, but if something does, we’ll deal with it.”

However, Conner said one of the best ways to prepare ahead of a weather event is to remain vigilant.

“If there is a tornado warning, take cover, pay attention; turn around don’t drown, you hear people say it all the time,” Conner explained. “If you see a big puddle of water from one of these quick downpours, don’t drive through it, turn around.”

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Ryan Ordmandy is a multi-media journalist for KTRE 9. He is originally from Paris, Tennessee and moved to Van, Texas in 2010. Ryan graduated magna cum laude from Texas Tech University in 2017 with a degree in Electronic Media and Communications.